Men's soccer ascends to No. 3 ranking

The men’s soccer team continued to run on all cylinders this past Saturday as they rolled over the Hobart College Statesmen 4-1, improving their record to a perfect 7-0 on the season. The victory over the Statesmen raised the Yellowjackets from fifth to third overall in this week’s Division III poll. Scoring for the Yellowjackets came early in the game when junior Gary Stom lofted a shot over the Hobart defense, leaving Take Five Scholar Ben Cross alone with the Hobart goaltender. Cross placed the ball in the net to give the Yellowjackets the lead. Later in the half, Stom helped pad that lead when senior Jeff White drove the ball into the far corner. Hobart’s goaltender tempted fate and challenged the ball. Stom beat him to it, sailing it by the goalie into the open net. The second half was no different than the first. The team got off to another early start, scoring at 46:42 when freshman Eric Meister connected with junior Nate Micklos to make the score 3-0. Micklos’ goal raised his total on the season into double digits. More impressive is the fact that Micklos continued his streak of scoring in every game this season. “I’m pleased with the player’s performance both defensive and offensive,” Head Coach Chris Apple said. “I ask all 11 players to defend and attack. Goalkeepers participate, as do backs, by getting involved in the attack. Goals that have been scored have come from defenders playing good ball [up the field]. They’ve succeeded in defending and putting pressure on the both ends. [Overall] it has been a full team effort.”The only goal against the Yellowjackets came midway through the second half, ending a five-game streak of shutouts for UR.The Yellowjackets responded exactly 63 seconds later. The team received a free kick from outside the 18-yard line. Taking the shot was sophomore Brian Tuohy. Tuohy placed the ball magnificently in the air for sophomore Tyler Green to head the into the net resulting in the final score. “On the goal that Tyler scored, I was really pleased to see,” Apple said. “Tyler got the ball, put it back down and attacked. I was really pleased with the team’s response on the fourth goal.”Overall, the team continued to demonstrate its ability to bring both its offensive and defensive talents to the game. “Nate and Gary have been a dynamic threat all season,” Apple commented. “The nice thing about our attack is you can’t shut Nate down and expect to keep us off the board. This will become critical as we start conference play a week from now.”Tuesday night, UR faced unbeaten Roberts Wesleyan College, ranked No. 11 in this week’s National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics coaches poll. Unlike NCAA Division III athletics, NAIA teams are composed of scholarship athletes. Roberts Wesleyan netted goals at the 15th and 30th minutes of the game. UR’s offensive intensity produced a goal at the 37th minute. Although the Yellowjackets outworked Roberts Wesleyan, they could not pocket a tying goal, and Wesleyan upended the Yellowjackets 2-1.The Yellowjackets face yet another tough opponent later this week when they square off at unbeaten Ithaca College.”Two huge challenges are Roberts Wesleyan ranked 11th with scholarship players,” Coach Apple said, “and then Ithaca has been in the top 20 most of season with a really strong team.” Apple also wanted to attribute the team’s successful start to the fans. “I know for a fact that guys are happy with the crowd support,” he said. “It’s the best I’ve ever seen this season. It’s great to see the campus community coming out and supporting us.”Serafini can be reached at jserafini@campustimes.org.